Efrem Zimbalist

Zimbalist, Efrem (Alexandrovich) (b Rostov, 1889; d Reno, Nevada, 1985). Russ.-born violinist and violist (Amer. cit.). Début Berlin 1907 in Brahms conc. Tours of Eur. London Début 1907. Amer. Début, Boston 1911. Settled in USA 1911. Dir., Curtis Inst. 1941–68, having taught there from 1928. Retired as player 1949, but returned to give f.p. of Menotti conc., NY 1952, and played Beethoven conc. in Philadelphia 1955. On jury Tchaikovsky comp., Moscow, 1962 and 1966. Wrote American Rhapsody, vn. conc., etc. From 1914 was married to the soprano Alma Gluck, who died in 1938.

Efrem Zimbalist , 1889-1985, Russian-American violinist. Zimbalist was a pupil of Leopold Auer at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He made his debut in Berlin in 1907, toured Europe, and made his American debut in 1911. His concert career was enormously successful; he did much to revive interest in early violin music. In 1914 he married Alma Gluck , who died in 1938. He joined the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, in 1928 and from 1941 to 1961 was its director. In 1943 he married Mary Louise Curtis Bok, founder of the institute. He composed music for violin, piano, and orchestra.